Anna Nicole Smith - Summary Details

Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan; November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007) was an American model, actress and television personality. Smith first gained popularity in Playboy, when she won the title of 1993 Playmate of the Year. She modeled for fashion companies including Guess, H&M, Heatherette, and Lane Bryant.

Smith dropped out of high school at age 14 in 1982 and married 3 years later. Her highly publicized second marriage to 89-year old J. Howard Marshall, a billionaire as a result of his 16% ownership stake in Koch Industries, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied. Following Marshall's death, Smith began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate. Her cases reached the Supreme Court of the United States: Marshall v. Marshall on a question of federal jurisdiction and Stern v. Marshall on a question of bankruptcy court authority.

During the final 6 months of her life, Smith was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son, Daniel Wayne Smith, and the paternity and custody battle over her newborn daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead. Smith died at age 39 on February 8, 2007, in a Hollywood, Florida hotel room as a result of an overdose of prescription drugs.